South Korean Factories in China
These incidents reportedly happened in the mid-1990s and one wonders if these still occur right now.
In 1995, the Zhuhai (珠海) Labor Bureau took action against the head of a South Korean electronics factory who reportedly kept her workers on duty continuously for more than 24 hours. Some fell asleep during a ten-minute break and were ordered to kneel, while others had to keep their hands raised in the air for ten minutes.
In another Korean-run factory, a woman worker was locked inside a dog cage together with a large dog, and publicly displayed in the factory compound.
Also in 1995, the Worker's Daily (工人日报) reported that 600 female workers had staged protests at a South Korean factory in Qinhuangdao (秦皇岛) in Hebei province (河北省), demanding shorter hours, higher wages and the right not to be beaten or insulted.
They also wanted a labor contract because they were forced to do overtime in excess of the 36 hours a month stipulated by law. The company responded by firing the ringleaders and punishing the others.
In Shandong (山东), the same newspaper found that in South Korean factories, workers had to do enforced overtime to meet deadlines. Indeed, some factories had implemented piece-rate payment and then reduced the payment for each piece to force the workers to work longer to get a satisfactory wage.
How ironic! The Korean labor force had a long and illustrious history of fighting for their rights and demanding better treatment, pay and working conditions (pictured). But when Koreans venture overseas, they turn into the same monster they earlier tried to slay.
In 1995, the Zhuhai (珠海) Labor Bureau took action against the head of a South Korean electronics factory who reportedly kept her workers on duty continuously for more than 24 hours. Some fell asleep during a ten-minute break and were ordered to kneel, while others had to keep their hands raised in the air for ten minutes.
In another Korean-run factory, a woman worker was locked inside a dog cage together with a large dog, and publicly displayed in the factory compound.
Also in 1995, the Worker's Daily (工人日报) reported that 600 female workers had staged protests at a South Korean factory in Qinhuangdao (秦皇岛) in Hebei province (河北省), demanding shorter hours, higher wages and the right not to be beaten or insulted.
They also wanted a labor contract because they were forced to do overtime in excess of the 36 hours a month stipulated by law. The company responded by firing the ringleaders and punishing the others.
In Shandong (山东), the same newspaper found that in South Korean factories, workers had to do enforced overtime to meet deadlines. Indeed, some factories had implemented piece-rate payment and then reduced the payment for each piece to force the workers to work longer to get a satisfactory wage.
How ironic! The Korean labor force had a long and illustrious history of fighting for their rights and demanding better treatment, pay and working conditions (pictured). But when Koreans venture overseas, they turn into the same monster they earlier tried to slay.
posted by Maria Siow @ 10:42 AM
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